by A J Grape

Created on: July 02, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

There are life lessons that lay dormant and invisible, truths that rest under the surface, that rise to enlighten like fish leaping through the calm of a lake, reminding us that there is more to our lives than what we see. Fishing has always been my number one choice of therapy and relaxation, and many times it has been a great source of contemplation and revelation.

The sun was already well into its decent and I had decided to take my kids with me to the lake and try our luck at fishing with the little time we had left to the day. This was actually a first for me. I had never attempted to bring all four kids on an unplanned fishing excursion. Usually, my wife had at least two of them with her and I would take the older ones fishing for an hour or two.

When you're alone, you just don't have enough hands to keep all four of them under control, especially the little ones. It's just too exciting for them to stand still in the soft sand with the sun glistening off the clear lake and minnows darting at their feet. The water almost calls you to take your shoes off and step in. And it wasn't long before the little ones were in the water, sneakers and all.

My kids were born, girl, boy, girl, boy, current ages eleven, nine, six and four. The two oldest ones were taking turns casting lines across mine and tying hooks and bobbers in the tree branches overhead. The two little ones were wading into the lake up to their hips and shrieking with the excitement brought on by the cold crystal clear water.

I was lucky enough to catch one trout with a worm and this brought on quite an examination of the species by the two little ones. Their excitement was boisterous and the noise they raised echoed throughout the small stretch of beach we staked out as our claim for the little time we had. It warmed my heart watching them enjoy this time together, even though fishing had become impossible with their activity scaring away all the fish. For a moment I drifted back to a time when my dad stood at the side of another lake a long time ago, while my older brother and I destroyed his day of fishing.

There were fishermen standing at other points along the beach to each side of us and it became quite noticeable that they had stopped fishing and began working their way further and further away from us. There were no other kids at the lake that evening and we were certainly the loudest crew on the beach.

A group of men with chest waders walked down from the road and stood watching us for a little

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>